Combination draw works and cat line winch



April 3 A. J. PENICK El AL 1,953,865

COMBINATION DRAW WORKS AND CAT LINE WINCH Filed Jan. 28. 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet l ARTHUR 0'. PENiCK. \(msv T. PENlCK. ALLEN (300mm.

2 Z [N V EN TOR5.

6? BY a [EL 1 JdafiM A TTORNEYS.

April 3', 1934. A.'J. PENICK ET AL 1,953,365

COMBINATION DRAW WORKS AND CAT LINE WINCH Filed Jan. 26, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ARTHUR J. Pzmcx K1RBY T PENICK ALLEN COCHRUM IN V EN TOR-3.

$15M By 0M ATTORNEY5.

April 3, 1934. A. J. PENICK ET AL COMBINATION DRAW WORKS AND CAT LINE WINCH 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ARTHU I PENICK.

Filed Jan. 26, 1931 H. mm N H m T mm mu KA ddAmW/NVENTORS.

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ATTORNEYS April 3, 1934 A. J. PENICK El AL 1,953,865

COMBINATION DRAW WORKS AND CAT LINE WINCH Filed Jan. 26, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I N VEN TORS.

Juxzmcw A TTORNEY-i Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

WINCH Arthur J. Penick, Kirby T. Penick, and Allen L1".

Cochrum, Houston, Tex.

Application January 26, 1931, Serial No. 511,212

6 Claims. (Cl. 254- 187) The invention relates to an improvement in well drilling equipment and particularly to the structure used in hoisting pieces of apparatus about the derrick floor and in placing the different portions of the equipment during the well drilling operation.

It is usual in well drilling operations to have a hoisting mechanism which is usually termed the draw works and which comprises a driving mechanism for the different portions of the machinery and also includes a cathead, which is generally used by placing a rope or wire line about such cathead so that when the cathead is rotated a pull will be exerted upon the line. Catheads of this type are old and well known in the art and in fact are provided on every type of drawworks which is now in commercial use. The cathead is used quite frequently about the well rig and it is necessary therefore to wind the line about the cathead a great many times. When a pull is to be exerted it is necessary that one of the operators also retain a tension on the slack and of the rope or line in order to cause sufficient friction on the surface of the cathead to obtain a pull upon the line. If the article which is being moved by the catline is to be suspended it is then necessary to fasten the supporting line either to a portion of the derrick, one of the jack posts or some other fixed portion of the structure so that the article may be supported. All of these operations consume time and have been found in the past to be cumbersome and inefficient. A great many operators have also been injured by use of the catline due to the fact that they slip off of the cathead or the article being handled is not securely fastened and for various other reasons.

It is therefore one of the objects of this invention to provide an improvement in apparatus for handling the cat line which will enable the operator to have complete control of the line at all times.

Another object of the, invention is to provide a special winch upon which the cat line is to be reeled so that it may be available for use at all times.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cat line winch in combination with a draw works so that the winch may be driven from the power applied to the draw works.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cat line winch adapted to be controlled by clutch and brake mechanisms at a point convenient to the draw works so that it may be manipulated by the driller.

. A still further object of the invention is to prothe apparatus. This line shaft usually rotates the vide a cat line winch in combination with the line shaft of the draw works.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a control mechanism for a cat line winch so that the power and the brake may be controlled by a 69 single lever.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a drive mechanism for a cat line winch wherein the winch may be disengaged when not in use and engaged when desired so that it may be ro- .65 tated for operation.

Various other objects of the invention will be readily apparent when the following description is considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: {(9

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a combination draw works and cat line winch in which the invention has been incorporated.

Fig. 2 is a detailed view of the control mechanism for the cat line winch.

Fig. 3 shows the same structure disclosed in Fig. 2 with certain of the parts in section.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the structure of Fig; 2.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of gap Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the cat line winch mounted on the jack post and derrick and showing the cat head and line shaft from which power for driving the winch is obtained.

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modified form of driving mechanism for the cat line winch.

Fig. 11 shows another form of driving mecha- .95 nism for the winch. 1

Fig. 12 is" a section taken on the line 12-12 of Fig. 10; and

Fig. 13 is a section taken on the line 13-13 of Fig. 12.

Fig. -1 is a more or less diagrammatic view and shows the derrick floor at 1, the jack posts at 2, and the draw works generally at 3. This draw works is driven by means of power applied to the line shaft 4 by means of an electric motor, steam engine or other source of power. The line shaft is usually provided with a plurality of sprockets 5 in order to obtain different speeds of driving for the draw works and other parts of entire time that the source of power is in operation and control of the draw works is effected by clutches such as 6. Mounted on the end of the line shaft and outboard of the jack post hearing is a cat head 8. This cat h ad is of ordinary construction and is fixed to the line shaft so that it rotates therewith. In devices now in use when it is desired to hoist some piece of apparatus about the floor or lower some piece of equipment into position a rope line is passed several times around the cat head while it is rotating and when tension is applied to the slack end of the rope the friction of the rope on the cat head causes a pull on the line. The fact that the cat head is rotating is more or less dangerous when .it is desired to place the rope line about the cat head or remove it therefrom because if the line becomes tangled about the cat head or is entangled it is very liable to be pulled about the cat head and draw the arm or hand of the operator into the coils about the cat head and innumerable injuries have occurred in this manner.

The present invention seeks to eliminate passing of the rope line about the cat head and in lieu thereof provide a cat line which is reeled up on a winch which is generally indicated at 10.

This winch is shown on a large scale in Fig. 6

and embodies a supporting' structure 11, which is adapted to be mounted on the head board 12 and the jack post 2. This supporting bracket includes the bearings 13, which are adapted to support the shaft 14, which in turn carries the reel 15 upon which the cat line 16' is to be coiled. This reel 15 is provided with brake drums 16 and brake bands 17 thereon. These brake bands are adapted for operation by means of a rock shaft 18, which is supported upon the braces 19 and is arranged for rocking movement by means of a gear 20, which is rotated by a worm 21 upon movement of the handle 22. Adjustment of the brake band may be accomplished by the nuts 23 to take up for wear on the bands. With the arrangement of the worm and gear, it seems apparent that the brake will remain in any set position due to the gear ratio of the worm and gear which looks unless pressure is exerted upon the hand wheel 22. The worm and gear are best seen in side elevation in Fig. 8.

Fig. -6 also shows one form of driving mechanism for the winch 15 which includes a gear 24 which may be formed integral with the brake drum 16 or may be separate therefrom and affixed to the shaft 14. This gear 24 is arranged to be driven by a pinion 25 mounted on the jack shaft 26. This jack shaft is driven by a pulley 27, which is also fixed to the shaft. This shaft 26 is mounted in bearings 28, which are carried by the supporting structure 11.

A control handle 30 is provided to move the pinion 25 laterally so that it will either engage or be disengaged from the gear 24. This handle 30 is pivoted at 31 on a bracket and has its end engaged in the clutch collar 32, which is splined to the jack shaft 26. This collar 32 is connected with the pinion 25 so that lateral movement of the handle 30 will cause an equivalent lateral movement of the pinion 25.

Power is transmitted to the pulley 27 from the cat head 8 by means of a suitable belt 9 which may be passed around the cat head and the pulley. An idler 34 is provided intermediate the pulley and the cat head and is adapted for manipulation by means of a handle 35 which is pivoted at 36 on the supporting structure. With this arrangement it is only necessary for the 0perator to pull upon the handle 35 to move the idler 34 into contact with the belt so that it will frictionally engage both the cat head and the pulley and in this manner cause rotation of the shaft 26 and the winch. When the cat heed winch is not in use the idler 34 will be free of the belt which will hang suspended from the pulley 27 and out of engagement with the cat head 8 so that no additional moving parts will be in operation when the winch is not in use. As has been stated before, the cat head 8 usually rotates all of the time that the draw works or driving mechanism is in operation, whereas a cat head winch is used intermittently and with the structure shown in Fig. 6 it is only necessary to manipulate the handle 35 or the handle 30, or both, in order to use the winch. If a particular piece of apparatus is to be suspended by means of the cat line the brake 17 may be set by means of the handle 22 as previously described.

When it is desired to pay out the cat line from the winch, for instance, when an article is to be lowered from the top of the derrick or the line is to be otherwise unreeled from the winch 15, it is desirable that the winch rotate free of its driving mechanism and the handle 30 may then be moved to the right from its position shown in Fig. 6 so that the pinion 25 is disengaged froin the gear 24. This leaves the winch 15 free to rotate on its shaft 14 and the weight of the hook or other article on the end of the cat line will move downwardly by gravity or a pull may be exerted upon the cat line to unreel it from the winch 15. The brakes, however, will obviously be used to control the paying out of the cat line as desired. Fig. 7 shows a sectional view of the winch mounted on the shaft 14 by means of antifriction bearings 37, so that the winch 15 will rotate free when the line is to be paid out or reeled up. This figure also shows a sectional view of the brake bands and the driving gear 24.

Fig. 10 shows another form of driving mechanism for the jack shaft 26. This mechanism includes a sprocket gear 40, which is mounted upon a housing 41, which is best seen in section in Fig. 12 and is mounted upon a drum 42 by means of antifriction bearings 43. This housing has connected thereto the end plate 44, which is mounted on antifriction bearings 45 upon the shaft 26. The drum 42, however, is provided with a plurality of stub shafts 46, each of which carries an idler 47, which engages a pinion 48 on the shaft 26. The idlers 47 engage the internal gear 49 on the inside of the housing 41 so that a planetary gear arrangement is provided.

A clutch band 50 is connected to the drum 42 so that when the drum is held stationary and the housing 41 is rotated, rotation will also be imparted to the shaft 26. By varying the amount of tension on the band 50 the speed of rotation of the jack shaft 26 may be controlled. Planetary gears of this type are old and well known in the art. The clutch band 50 is adapted for manipulation by means of a handle 51 and the sprocket 40 is arranged for rotation by a chain passing over the gear 52, which is shown in Fig. '10 as having been affixed to the cat head 8. Rotation of the line shaft 4 and the cat head 8 will thus impart rotation to the jack shaft 26, so that the pinion 25 thereon will drive the cat head winch.

Fig. 11 shows another modification of the control mechanism for the cat head winch in which the housing 41, the drum 42, the brake 50 and the parts carried thereby are mounted directly on the line shaft 4. The sprockets and 52 are thus interchanged with the sprocket 52 being placed on the jack shaft 26. This arrangement is of advantage in some instances where the cat head is to be used for breaking out tool joints or for moving apparatus at the same time some other article is being suspended on the cat line 16. It should be noted in Fig. 11 that the cat head 8 is outboard of this control mechanism so that it is free and may readily be used.

Figs. 2 and 3 show another modification of the driving mechanism in which a brake is applied to the jack shaft 26. This brake includes the band 60, which operates on the drum 61, which is keyed to the shaft 26. This brake and drum are mounted adjacent the clutch band which is equivalent of the band 50 shown in Fig. 12 and is arranged to grip the drum 42 in order to cause rotation of the shaft 26 as described in connection with the structure of Fig. 12. This structure in Figs. 2 and 3 is of advantage, however, due to the fact that a single lever 62 may be used to manipulate both the brake and the clutch. This lever is pivoted at 63 on a suitable support and is provided with a beveled cam 6a, which is adapted to engage the clutch lever 65 and the brake lever 66. These levers are pivoted on a fulcrum at 6'7 and, as seen in Fig. 2, movement of the handie 62 to the right will cause raising of the lever 65 and gripping of the clutch 50 to rotate the jack shaft, whereas movement of the handle 62 to the left will cause the cam 64 to raise the brake lever 66 so that the band 60 will grip the drum 61 and prohibit rotation of the jack shaft 26. The levers and other structure of Figs. 2 and 3 are best seen in end elevation in Fig. 4.

While several modifications of the driving mechanism and braking arrangements have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is limited only by the appended claims as various types of structure may be utilized to practice the invention. Broadly the invention resides in the provision of a winch for the cat line which winch may be driven by the power from the draw works and used in combination with the draw works so that the cat line will remain reeled on the winch and in this manner stored so that it will not clutter up the derrick floor and also be available to move various articles about or suspend them in the derrick as desired.

It is appreciated that the power to drive the cat line winch may be provided from any desired source such as an electric motor or other source of power. If an independent power unit were then provided it could be mounted directly on the jack shaft 26 or on a shaft which would drive a' pulley equivalent of the cathead 8 or the sprocket 52. In a portable rig on a tractor the power could be derived from the engine used for motive power.

We claim:

1. The combination with a draw works having a cathead of a cat line winch, control means for said winch, and means whereby the power supplied to said draw works will also drive said winch, said means including a drive means on the cathead and a planetary gear drive connected thereto.

2. In combination with a Well rig draw works, having a line shaft and cat head rotatable therewith, a cat line winch, a drive pulley for said winch, an idler pulley disposed between said cat head and said drive pulley, and means to move said idler pulley to control the frictional gripping of a drive belt between said drive pulley and cat head.

3. In a well rig, a draw works, a head board and jack posts therefor, a catline winch, means adapted to be operated from said draw works to drive said winch, and means for mounting said winch on said head board.

4. In a well rig, a draw works, jack posts supporting said draw Works, a head board joining said jack posts, a cat line winch mounted on said head board, and means connecting said draw works and winch to drive said winch.

5. The combination of a draw works and catline winch including a line shaft, a cathead thereon, a drive means carried by said cathead, said catline winch being adjacent said cathead, and control means whereby rotation of said cathead drive means may impart rotation to said catline winch.

6. In combination with a well rig draw works, a catline winch including a reel, bearings therefor, a drive pinion for said reel, means to drive said pinion including planetary gearing, a line shaft in said draw works, the rotation of which serves to drive said gearing, and control means for said gearing, so that said line shaft may be used independently of said winch.

ARTHUR J. PENICK. KIRBY T. PENICK. ALLEN COCHRUM. 

